


The Sound Of Settling

by afteriwake



Series: A Past Love [14]
Category: Doctor Who, Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-05
Updated: 2012-07-05
Packaged: 2017-11-09 06:22:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/452309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s days like today where she realizes just what good friends she has.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sound Of Settling

Thursday had gone well, Amy decided as she woke up Friday. She and Molly had collapsed into giggles at John’s insistence throughout both Hobbit movies that he had never grown his hair out and gone to New Zealand, and the obvious look of shock on Sherlock’s face the first time Smaug spoke had set them off all over again. He kept insisting it was merely coincidence that there was an actor who sounded exactly like him, and Molly remarked that he should try and steal the actor’s voiceover jobs out from under him since he’d be cheaper. They’d gone through eight bags of popcorn between the four of them, and while she missed bits of the first Lord of the Rings movie to cook she could tell everyone, even Sherlock, was thoroughly enjoying themselves.

She had high hopes for today, she thought with a smile as she got the ingredients to start the stew. She had decided she wanted to cook to music, and she had her iPod and headphones on as she prepped the food, singing along with the songs she could. “Samson” by Regina Spektor was on when she realized she had an audience, turning and seeing Sherlock in his robe and sleepwear casually watching her. With a start she ripped her headphones off and set down the knife she’d been cutting meat with. “Oh, God, you scared me.”

“Don’t stop on account of me,” he said. “I think you’ve gone through three songs since I got out here. Your voice has only gotten better.”

She blushed slightly. “Thank you,” she said. She turned off her iPod and put it and her headphones on the counter. “How come you didn’t stop me?”

“I liked listening to you sing,” he said, moving into the kitchen to get some coffee. “You really do have a nice voice. Have you thought about singing professionally?”

She scoffed. “Yeah, right. I’d have to compete with all those girl groups and manufactured pop, and no one would let me write anything. It wouldn’t be me singing my stuff. And the image I’d have to present? I think I’ll just stay a model. Less work, better business to be in.”

“You write music?” he asked, surprised.

“Lyrics, mostly. I put stuff to tunes I know,” she said with a shrug. “I don’t know music well enough to compose, and I don’t generally have access to a piano, and that’s the only instrument I know.” She smiled at him. “I envy you and your violin skills.”

“I’d like to hear it sometime, if you feel comfortable enough to share,’ he said as he poured his coffee.

“Maybe. But only if you share your stuff, too. No fair if it’s just me sharing.”

“I can agree to that.” He looked at the work she’d done. “Are you almost finished?”

“Almost. Just need to season and cook the meat. I’ve already got the vegetables chopped.”

“I’ll leave you to your cooking,” he said with a nod. 

She gave him another grin and went back to work. She was finished within a half hour, and when she went back to her room to change she realized that Molly and John were going to be over soon. Quickly she changed and went back to get the popcorn started. Sherlock was eating a bowl of cereal. “Is that my cereal?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” he said.

“You had better have left me some,” she said with a shake of her head. She grabbed the box and felt that it was still rather full. Satisfied, she started the popcorn. “Aren’t you going to change?”

“Why? We’ll be inside the whole time, and it makes less sense to change into something else.”

She grinned slightly. “That’s the Sherlock I know and love. Always trying to do the logical thing.”

“I’m surprised you changed,” he said. “No one would bat an eyelash at you in your pajamas.”

“Yeah, well, I like getting dressed even when I’m staying in,” she said with a shrug, putting the first bag of popcorn in the microwave.

“You look nice regardless,” he said, taking another bite of cereal. “I have yet to see you get very fancy, though.”

“I’ll see if I can’t get the photographer in Milan to slip me a copy of one of my shots,” she said. “It’s couture, so I’ll be looking very fancy. I’ll even put it in a nice frame for you,” she replied with a grin.

“Thank you,” he said. “I expect that will be the only gift I get.”

She made a noise. “Christmas is at the end of the month. It will be _one_ of the gifts you get. Don’t try making me feel sorry for you and guilt me into giving you something extravagant.”

“Who said I would guilt you into anything?” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“You know what I mean. Besides, Molly told me she and John got you some stuff already, so my gifts won’t be the only ones. You better give us all something back, though.”

“Oh dear God, Christmas shopping,” he said in disgust. “I suppose I can purchase something from their registry aside from the gift I already got.”

“See? That’s smart thinking.”

“What would you like?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “You could always write me a song, I suppose. That would be a nice gift.”

“You don’t want some material item?” he asked, surprised.

“Not really. If you absolutely feel you want to get me one, I won’t say no, but I would really like a song written just for me,” she said. “You’ll have a week without me here, so you can surprise me.” The popcorn finished and she took that bag out and started another. “And you can let me put up a Christmas tree before I go. I always have a tree at Christmas.”

He looked around the room. “A small one would fit by the couch, I suppose.”

“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “I kept most of the decorations I used to put on the tree in the basement. Mrs. Hudson said I could store them there for the time being. I still need to buy some stuff, like tinsel and lights. Nine years of not using my lights meant most of them were dead.”

“Do you mind if I add a few things?” he asked.

She raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“John left some decorations here for when he had a tree up. I’m sure he left lights, at the very least.”

“Oh. Okay,” she said with a nod. “Sure. The only other thing I need is a tree topper.” She was quiet. “Think the skull might fit on top?”

His eyes widened and he nearly dropped his spoon. “What?”

“The skull. Do you think it would fit on top of the tree?” she asked.

“I suppose, but why on earth would you want it as a tree topper?”

“I like it,” she said with a shrug. “Forget it, never mind.”

“If you want to use it you may,” he said. “I just never thought you would suggest something so morbid.”

She ignored the popcorn for a moment and gave him a hug. “Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it,” he replied.

She let go as the popcorn finished, and she plucked the second bag out and dumped both bags into a large bowl. She finished just as John knocked at the door and he, Molly and Jessica came in. “Hello,” he called out in greeting.

“Hey!” Amy called back. Sherlock raised his spoon in salute. “Popcorn just finished. Go ahead and get comfortable.”

John and Molly got out of their jackets before Molly went and got the portable playpen and set Jessica in it. John stared at Sherlock. “Aren’t you going to get dressed?”

“Don’t feel like it,” he said with a shrug, continuing his cereal.

“At least it’s not a sheet,” Amy said.

“True,” John agreed.

“I get to put up a tree,” she said with a smile as she brought out the popcorn.

“He argued with me for a week the first time I put one up,” John said. “This just shows he likes you more than me if he did it with no fuss.”

“So you just now noticed,” Sherlock said wryly, and Amy rolled her eyes.

“Don’t start,” she replied. “I get to use the skull as a tree topper.”

“Why on _earth_ would you want to do that?” John asked.

“I like the skull,” Amy said with a shrug.

“That could be an interesting idea,” Molly said.

“Don’t get any ideas,” John said, and Amy and Molly giggled slightly. “There will be no skull atop our Christmas tree.”

“Are you going to have a party, too?” Molly asked.

“Hadn’t thought about that,” Amy said. “I’ll have just gotten back a few days before, so I really won’t have time to plan something.”

“We could host something, right, John?” Molly asked.

“I suppose,” he said after thinking for a moment. “I had rather hoped we could do something low-key for New Years, though.”

“I can do some of the initial planning, with help,” Sherlock said. All three of them turned to look at him, and all three jaws were dropped. “Why are you all looking at me like that?”

“You offering to plan a party,” Amy said. “Never thought I’d hear that.”

“If you don’t want me to I won’t,” he said, slightly hurt.

“No no no,” Amy said, moving over to him. “I’ll help until Milan. I just don’t want to end up doing all the cooking. I’m going to be exhausted and on a different time schedule when I get back.”

“Catering,” Sherlock said. “Easy enough.”

“I’ll pitch in too,” John said.

“See?” Sherlock said. “I can do this.”

“Okay,” Amy said, giving him a wide smile. He gave her a slight one back and went back to his cereal. “I might even dress up nicely. Not like what I’d wear on a shoot, but…nice.”

“Please do,” Sherlock murmured.

“Hmm?” Amy asked.

“Nothing,” he said quickly, taking his last bite of cereal.

She gave him a skeptical look and just missed the knowing look on John’s face when she turned back to him and Molly. “Ready for the movie?” she asked.

“Of course,” Molly said. “Is there more Legolas in this one? I like him.”

Amy nodded. “He’s in all three movies,” she said. “Same as Gimli, Aragorn, Pippin, Merry, Sam and Frodo. But wait until you meet Faramir. He’s my favorite. And I think you’ll adore Eowyn. She’s awesome. I want to be a badass like her.”

“What about Arwen? I quite like her,” Molly said.

“Eowyn is much better. More active. She’s the one who—“ She cut herself off. “Spoilers. But she gets to do exciting stuff. Arwen just gets to look pretty.”

“I wish I was as beautiful as she is,” Molly said with a sigh as Amy got the DVDs.

“I think you’re more beautiful than an elven princess,” John told her softly.

“Really?” Molly said with a wide smile. She leaned over and gave him a kiss. “Thank you.”

Amy smiled at them before pressing play on the player. She got settled in her chair and Sherlock came over so he could see the TV as well. Then she settled in as the movie started, extremely content with how everything in her life was. This contentment lasted throughout the whole day, and by the time the movies were over dinner had been eaten and John and Molly were saying their good-byes. Amy collected the dirty dishes and took them to the kitchen, where she saw Sherlock was already washing things. “I think that went really well,” she said.

“I had an enjoyable time,” he said with a slight smile. “I would never have picked those movies but they were entertaining nonetheless.”

“We should try and do something like this more often,” she said, placing the dishes next to the sink. “You didn’t need to clean up.”

“You put a lot of hard work into making sure we were well fed. It’s the least that I can do.” He reached over and put the bowls she had brought over into the soapy water.

“I’m glad you joined us,” she said. “I honestly thought you wouldn’t.”

“I’m trying to expand my horizons, I suppose,” he replied. “But with these stories…I remembered reading the books as a child. After the period where I wanted to be a pirate I decided I wanted to be Aragorn.”

“I never would have guessed,” she said, a wide smile on her face. “That’s rather cute.”

“Yes, well, Mycroft ruined that for me, just as he had talked me out of being a pirate,” he said with a slight shrug.

“I think you would have made a dashing Aragorn,” she said.

“I suppose as I got older most people would have thought I was like Denethor, or even Sauron.”

“I never would have said that,” she said, putting a hand on his arm. “You aren’t a coward like Denethor or evil like Sauron. No, I may have pegged you as Boromir at your worst, but never either of those.”

“I suppose I should be grateful for that,” he said. “Though considering you like Faramir I suppose that says something.”

She moved her hand away and swatted at his shoulder. “In all honesty, my favorite character in the books was Samwise. I just happen to think the actor who plays Faramir is attractive, and I like the Faramir and Eowyn relationship more than the Aragorn and Arwen one.”

“So that’s your type?” he asked.

“One of them,” she said. “Rory was much more like Faramir, especially when he had to be The Lone Centurion. But you I see more like Aragorn now, in the sense that you’re older and more battle weary, but you’ll fight for what you believe in and what you hold dear. He’s not a bad character to be compared to.”

“Thank you for the compliment,” he said.

“You’re welcome.”

“I see you as similar to Eowyn,” he said. “You would never be a simple window dressing like Arwen, and I could very well see you fighting with a sword and in armor if you needed to.”

“Thank you,” she said. “That means a lot to me.” She leaned over and quickly kissed his cheek. “I know I just broke a rule, but I just wanted to do that.”

“It’s all right,” he said. “I don’t mind if you do that, not really.”

“I’ll remember that,” she said with a smile. “Let me start drying those.” She went and got a towel, and the two of them worked in concert until the dishes were all dried and put away. She glanced at the clock. “I can’t believe it’s only nine in the evening.”

“Apparently time flies when you’re having fun,” he said.

“I kind of want to go out and _do_ something,” she said. “Want to go out and join me?”

“Doing what?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “Grab a drink at the pub down the street maybe?”

“I’m not one for drinking,” he said.

“One beer, that’s all,’ she said with a grin. “Or you can keep me company while I grab a pint.”

“Why don’t we do something else?” he suggested.

“Such as?”

“Take a walk. It’s not snowing.” 

She thought about it. “All right. Go change. I’ll go throw on a jacket and scarf.” She gave him a grin and then headed to her room and put on her jacket but couldn’t seem to find a scarf anywhere. She went back to the shared room and looked around. “Damn,” she muttered.

“Lose something?” he asked as he came in.

“My scarf,” she replied. “I don’t know what’s happened to it.” He took the scarf he had been wearing off and handed it to her. “You’ll freeze without it,” she said.

“I have another one,” he replied.

She took it and wrapped it around her neck. “Thank you.” He nodded, then left to get another one, she held up one end to her nose and inhaled it. It smelled just like him, she thought with a smile. He came back shortly. “I’m not giving this back until I find mine,” she said with a grin.

“I had assumed that would be the case.” He put on his second scarf. “Ready?”

She nodded. They walked downstairs together and out the door. It was crisp but not freezing, and she pulled her jacket closed. “So, where to?”

“A few blocks,” he said. They began to walk and chat, and soon she forgot that she was cold and just enjoyed being outside with someone she cared about a lot. They got to a small store that was closed for the night and he paused in front of the window. It was a music store. “In the corner, there’s a piano,” he said, pointing. “When I need to service my violin or get things for it I come here. When they’re open, they allow people with talent to play at the piano. If you wanted to practice, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”

She looked in at the piano. “I just might do that,” she said as she turned to him with a grin on her face. “I miss playing the piano.”

“I would like to hear you play sometime, if that’s all right,” he replied.

“God, it’s been forever. I may have forgotten a lot of things,” she said. “But if I’m decent, sure.” He gave her a smile as well, and she moved closer to him, linking her arm in his. “Let’s keep walking.”

“Anywhere in particular?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Nope. Let’s just go where our feet take us. It could make for a more interesting evening.” Her smile widened and she pulled him slightly to the left. This was a nice end to the evening, she realized. A very nice end.


End file.
